Chicken Coop Build 2020 Pictures
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Cardinal Pictures
Quick Video of Woodchip Pile Unloading
Planted Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Carrot, Beans – August 30, 2020
I’m trying once again to direct-seed cool weather plants in the heat of summer. The ‘feels like’ temperature was 105°F today because of the high humidity due to the 2.8″ of rain this morning. Nice to have the rain though! I was unsuccessful in direct-seeding plants like this last year.
Raised bed #1 w/ strawberries – planted about 16 cauliflower 
Snowball Y Improved Cauliflower 
Raised bed #2 planted 24 broccoli 
Green Magic Broccoli 
Raised bed #5 planted 14 brussel sprouts 
Long Island Improved Brussel Sprouts 
Raised bed #3 planted carrot 
Imperator 58 Carrot
Earlier this weekend before it had rained, I was able to move a lot of top soil out of the “pond” area and place it on the eastern part of the Hügelkultur bed #1. Just before dark I added straw mulch and planted about 50 bean plants, then distributed a packet of buckwheat cover crop to a lot of the bed. The plants I’ve had growing in this bed haven’t done very well. I think it is a combination of not enough soil, the typical first-year poor performance of a hugelkultur bed, and not enough water. I added more soil to this part of the bed compared to the part I already have plants growing in– hope that helps. I’m eager to have plants growing in it to hold the steeply-sloped soil in place. I figure beans are a good choice.
East end of Hügelkultur bed #1 
Provider Bean 
Common Buckwheat Cover Crop Seed
Okra Harvest – August 24, 2020
The okra planted in my raised beds are doing great and producing a lot of fruit. The okra in my new huglekulture bed are not doing so great.
Asparagus – August 24, 2020
I traded a big comfrey plant for 12 asparagus crowns. I planted them on the east face of a new section of hügelkultur bed that I just added soil to. I dug little holes in the soil, placed the crown, and added a shovel full of compost. After I watered it all, I added straw and watered again.
3 Fig Trees Transplanted – June 12, 2020
I transplanted 1 each Kadota, Black Mission, and Celeste Fig trees from pots to the ground this evening. 3 other of my rootings (Petite Negra, Nero 600m, and Lemon had died, unfortunately, probably due to irregular watering. The transplanted plants had huge root systems that were already starting to girdle in the pots they were in.
Hugelkulture Bed 2 Started May 2, 2020
Hugelkultur Status – April 23, 2020
The seeds I ordered from Willhite finally came in. We planted mainstream cantaloupe, yellow petite watermelon, jackson wonder speckled bush lima bean, Texas cream 8 cowpea, summer melody squash, honeybaby winter squash, and large sunflower mix on the north side of the bed.
We spread straw over the south side of the hill. The cowpeas, okra, melons, and squash I planted on April 8 are popping out of the soil now.
Cooper’s Hawk
We have a Cooper’s Hawk in our backyard. This is such a badass bird!
